TEED Interview: "I couldn’t bear being considered the very height of cool"

Jasmine Phull talks to Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs about his love for the EP format and why he’s making a mockery of ‘the industry’ that feeds him.

Jayne Robinson

Last updated: 22nd Feb 2012

Orlando Higginbottom is the Oxford-born electro producer who doesn’t take the music ‘scene’ too seriously.

In fact he is so apathetic towards the pretentious nature of a world that he is unwittingly a part of, that at the time of his beginning, a dinosaur costume and an adjective indulgent titular seemed the only logical move.

With his debut LP on the way, Jasmine Phull talks to Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs about his love for the EP format and why he’s making a mockery of ‘the industry’ that feeds him.

When you include synths or the piano, your music takes a tragic sound. Do you think this kind of emotion, whether you like it or not, better inspires your music?

Yea, it definitely inspires my music. I don’t know how or why? It’s more about memories and history affecting my musical output.

Your video for 'Garden' became a hit. How much creative control do you have over your videos? How important are the videos compared to the music?

I wish I had more. It’s quite hard really. Generally you only have one day to do something and a director has a very clear vision and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Some of my videos, I’ve been really happy with and others not so. Hopefully one day I’ll be in a position to have more control over them but I guess you have to earn your way up.

Do you at least get to see the briefs?

Of course. I see a lot of briefs, but something that looks good on paper can end up looking... not so good.

The costume is an important element to your stage show. Does its jovial nature downplay the seeming pretentious/ intimidating nature of the music industry?

Yea a bit. My name, the costume, it’s all slightly mocking ‘the industry’. It’s nice to not doing something that’s not trying to be cool and trendy. I know that Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs would never in a million years be a hip thing, and that’s refreshing to me. It enables me to carry on. I couldn’t bear being a musician who is considered the very height of cool because you know six months later, people are going to think you are shit for no reason other than fashion.

And now for a serious questions: how hot does it get in that costume when you’re on stage? It must get pretty sweaty in there..

(Laughs). It’s not too bad. If I don’t sweat then I don’t think I’ve done a good show.

You’ve also included dancers on stage. That’s an element most producers don’t have. Why was that important to you?

Initially I just thought it would be fun. Also there is something about clubs and club music that means you sometimes have to prompt the crowd to let go a bit. The girls have a really good effect on people; people appreciate what they are, the way they look and the dancing they do. It’s not threatening, it’s just about having a laugh. Hopefully I can get some more freaks onstage soon.

So do you encourage crowd participation?

If people get on the stage the girls usually kick them off. (Laughs). I used to do a thing at the end of my show where we all did a synchronised dance but I’m bored of that now.

You released three EPs and are about to release your debut LP. What is it that draws you to the EP format?

It’s just nice to do a little package like that; you can get across a number of sensible ideas that are digestible. An album is a big project. It’s a lot of music to listen to. With an EP you’ve just got three or four tracks. I’d like to do more EPs, I like it as a format.

So then what made you decide it was time to bring out the big guns in the form of an LP?

I pretty much just got told it was time...

When sourcing equipment are you an avid eBay fan or do you steer clear of that temptation?

I go through phases of spending a lot of money on eBay. At least once every six months I’ll buy a bunch of keyboards and then end up giving them away to my friends cause they are crap. (Laughs). I need a new studio, because I’ve run out of space, I’m sure I’ll spend some more money. I mean I love gear, there’s no two ways about it.

Is there something that’s missing in the music industry that was there 10-15 years ago?

Albums used to cost 15 quid now they cost five pounds? I really miss record shops and I miss that community that it would create. I like that things move on and change is always good.

Do you think that there will ever be anything as big as the Internet? Or have we reached our peak?

As big as the Internet? Jesus. I don’t know if you can get as big as the Internet. The Internet is it. That’s the medium. Could there be something on the Internet that’s bigger than Facebook? Maybe.

One track that makes you feel elated? Is there a song that you’re digging?

There’s a dodgy rock disco tune by a guy called Nik Kershaw. I’m really into it, it’s great. I think he’s English. But I only know this one song of his and I don’t know if it’s absolute crap or genius. I think it might be genius. I can’t remember the name of the song but the chorus line is: ‘if I could just wear your shoes’. It’s got good riffs and shit. (Laughs). [The song is called ‘Wouldn’t It Be Good’].

Explain what you mean when you say: It could be ‘absolute crap or genius’? What’s making you hesitate to choose a side?

I think that’s often the sign of good music is when you’re slightly confused about it; when it doesn’t quite fit into your concept of what’s cool or what your definition of ‘cool’.

You’ve been in the studio finishing the album. Have you wrapped all that up?

It’ll be finished in the next week, I’ve just got to finish this tour and then tidy up a few things.

How much time did you spend in the studio working on it?

I don’t know about total time but I’ve been working on it for just over a year now.

When you compare studio time to touring, is there one that you prefer?

I just don’t like mixing the two. I either want to be in the studio for two months, just working and getting into that, or I want to be on the road. I just had two days off at home and I didn’t know what to do with myself. It was weird. I just wanted to get back in the van and do another show. I love them both but I’m looking forward to taking some time out, in six months, and purely making some new music.

So once you’ve finished touring does it take much time to get used to the normal routine of just being at home and not travelling from one place to the other?

It can take like a week or two weeks if you’ve been touring for a while. When you’re on tour you just get in a real routine; the touring day consists of getting up, getting to the venue, play a show, and maybe get drunk. That’s everyday for three weeks and there’s a lot of adrenaline involved, so when you get home it’s kinda like ‘whoa’ I’m actually eating home cooked food, that’s weird enough.

And when you ‘get home’ do you have your own pad or do you move back in with your parents? That’s a killer no matter what job you have.

At the moment I’m at my parents, while I change studios, and that is quite a killer. (Laughs).

One great - recently deceased - artist?

Well I guess Whitney. It’s weird, when someone like that dies a lot of people say how big fans they were or whatever. I was a big fan of a couple of her songs, I wouldn’t say I was a Whitney Houston fan though. A couple of her songs were my favourite pop songs ever. It’s quite sad but at least she did that shit.